The North Herts story has been created by North Herts, for North Herts and is a shared vision of how communities across the district have and will continue to shape our future.
Our shared place vision is the result of discussions with residents, businesses, charities, community groups, students and politicians from across North Herts.
This story is a way of helping North Herts unite as a place around a sense of shared pride and a set of common goals. To recognise not just our strengths, but our challenges too, and to bring people and partners together to celebrate our strengths and meet those challenges.
Located less than 40 miles north of central London, North Herts is a place where people come first and where community matters.
From families whose generations have always lived in North Herts, to those who move into the area for access to open countryside, to businesses building on our history of creativity, a whole range of communities are drawn to North Herts for the quality of life we offer, our stunning natural landscape, outstanding schools, and unrivalled connectivity to London and Cambridge.
A mix of distinctly individual vibrant market towns, beautiful villages and accessible, open countryside, that come together to make a sum greater that its parts, North Herts was home to Paleolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age settlements and the place where the Garden City movement was pioneered.
It remains home to three of the world’s incredibly rare chalk streams and Therfield Heath, a site of Special Scientific Interest nestled on the chalk escarpment just north of Therfield village.
North Herts is the place where everyone can be active in their own way. From our two, treasured, outdoor pools, to our lively leisure centres, parks, playgrounds and sports pitches, there really is something for everyone.
Miles of walking and cycling routes connect our places with our unique landscape, which current and future generations will continue to value the mental and physical benefits of living in such a place of incredible natural beauty.
With a heritage steeped in the radicalism of the Garden City and Suffragette movements, our pioneering spirit continues in global leaders such as Johnson Matthey in Royston; leading financial services mutual Liverpool Victoria in Hitchin; and the emerging biotech industry in Letchworth.
The arts, culture and hospitality industries flourish in North Herts. From museums to coffee shops and heritage centres to award-winning pubs and restaurants, the business leaders of North Herts continue to lead the way in attracting and retaining the best of talent to the area.
There are challenges in North Herts, as there are everywhere, and we will continue to be open about these.
Desirable locations have driven house prices up, we need to provide more for teenagers to do, and there is inequality that isn’t always visible.
However, the communities of North Herts, as they have always done, will continue to come together, face these challenges head on and thrive.
North Herts is also the place where communities come together through a strong and diverse voluntary sector, faith communities and a vibrant programme of community events.
Bound together by an ethos of citizenship and care for both people and place, North Herts is proud to be a place of inclusivity.
Top photo: Hitchin Lavender